Quagmire's Revenge

by Alisa Guttadauro

  Things started falling off the shelves, and crashing to the floor. Phinnia’s eyes widened, then it appeared, a dark creature, it looked like a wolfen, but it had wings, big wings. Raven tried moving daggers at it, but it was too quick, and when Lady Serena went to cast a spell, it swooped her up and took her away, just flew out the door and disappeared, it was dreadful!”

  The exhausted fairy sagged down in the chair. Stark patted her tiny hand, and said kindly, “It wasn’t your fault,” but inside he was seething, “I have to find Serena, and protect this land until the others get back!”

  “What is that noise?” whispered Adorna, sounding guarded. Everyone stood quietly, waiting. Abruptly, Radkiel whirled around in the direction of the noise. He put his fingers to his lips, signaling everyone to be quiet, he then pointed to an oddly shaped bush with pointed leaves. It appeared the bush was moving. “All right!” shouted Radkiel, “Show yourself, or face the consequences!” Everyone moved into attack stance as they waited for whoever was hiding in the bush to come out. Then, someone quietly stepped out with his hands out in front of him and Ruby squealed, “Gregor!” “Gregor!” the adults repeated in astonishment. “What are you doing here?” asked Radkiel in an annoyed tone. Gregor looked around sheepishly and said, “Okay, don’t get angry, I just wanted to help. I…I was worried about Ruby.” Thaddeus smirked, and Radkiel smacked his forehead with his hand. Adorna started to smile, but then said in a stern voice, “Gregor, although your intentions are admirable, I hope you realize that we have serious business to take care of here. There will be no shenanigans, or pranks. Do you understand?” Gregor nodded as he glanced at Ruby, who was blushing and looking all around.

  “How did you get here?” asked Thaddeus. Gregor smiled broadly, “Oh that was easy, I shrunk myself down and hid in Radkiel’s satchel.” Radkiel’s mouth dropped open, and the rest of the group started laughing. A loud screech from above had the merriment come to an abrupt stop. Ruby put her fingers in her ears to drown out the sound. Thaddeus closed his eyes for a moment and then re-opened them. “This is not good,” he said aloud, “It’s a warning, and I’m getting a feeling that something…..something.” He looked at Adorna who shook her head.

  “Ruby, Gregor, I need both of you to see how many candles we have, I know Kerina was given some by the wickets.” Then Adorna took Thaddeus and Radkiel aside. “Okay,” whispered Adorna, “What did you see Thaddeus?” “It’s not so much a seeing, my lady; it’s more of a feeling. Something happened back at dragoness and I sense danger there. We need to get on with this journey before anything else happens.” Radkiel looked grim as he said, “Okay everyone we need to start moving toward Shimrock Mountain. Do not touch anything, only Thaddeus and Adorna will know what is safe.” As the group started to move, Adorna said to Ruby, “There is something I must tell you before we get to the queen, and it’s going to be a surprise to you, but it’s something you must know. Ruby’s eyes widened. Adorna patted her hand then said, “We will have to camp out at the bottom of the mountain tonight, we should be safe. I’m sure the goddess knows we are on our way, as she opened the portal. We should look for a place to camp and then we will eat. While we are eating, I have something I have to explain, before we meet with the queen goddess.” Radkiel quickly brushed his hand over Adorna’s and she gave him a warm smile. “My lady,” he whispered, “There is something I would like to speak to you about also.” Adorna looked away coyly as she nodded, and they all headed toward the mountain to look for a place to camp.

  Serena tried to open her eyes, but they felt very heavy. She grabbed for her neck, and felt around, her amulet was still there, not that it did her much good before she was taken, but the secret latch in the back of it hadn’t opened, so she still had some magic in it. She felt around with her hands. It felt like she was on a dirt floor. He feet were bound, but her hands were free, which she thought was odd. Then she realized why she couldn’t see, her eyes were covered.

  She tried to take the covering off of her eyes, but she was weak, and her arm fell back at her side. She tried to sit up, and felt dizzy. Then she smelled an awful odor, almost like sulfur and she wrinkled her nose, trying not to gag at the stench. A hairy hand brushed across her face and she cringed. “Who are you!” she demanded. A deep voice laughed, it was almost like a growl, “I am a sycophant, a servant of Quagmire.” “Quagmire?” questioned Serena, “Then he’s… he’s…. “Yesss,” hissed the creature, he is alive, weak, but alive. He will rule Equonicous once everything is in place and he has the trident.” Serena tried again to sit up, “He will never get the trident, nor will he ever rule Equonicous!” She fell back weak from her effort. “Rest up my dear,” said the foul smelling beast, you’ll need your strength!” She was alone again, and tried to summon up some energy to get up, but whatever she was given was very strong and she fell back yet again. She wanted to cry, but fell into a deep sleep instead, dreaming of dragoness and wicked creatures.

  Willow, Stark and Raven were back at the potions shop. When they got there Willow looked at Stark, astonished at the destruction she saw. The trio heard noises coming from the back room, and Stark held the women back as he crept stealthily ahead of them. Then he said to Willow and Raven, “It’s okay, c’mon back.” There, on the couch in the training room lay Phinnia with Callioth hunched over her, reciting a healing incantation. Daffilda looked on concernedly, and Kerina tried tidying up. Harmonia looked at the newcomers and said in a grim tone, “The good news is, Phinnia’s wing should be healed in twenty-four hours, and the bad news is we still haven’t figured out who or what took Serena. I tried my divining pendulum to locate her whereabouts, but the stone keeps turning black.” Raven gasped loudly, “You don’t think she’s, she’s….” “No,” Harmonia replied gently, I would have felt that.” It’s more likely that she is incapacitated at the moment, either asleep or unconscious.” Willow frowned, “Kerina isn’t there anything you could do?” she asked the wicket queen. “Kerina replied gruffly, “These things take time, I have some of my people at the Dotted Elm, collecting sap to make a liquid seeing, but they have to be careful, there are probably spies about!” Stark nodded as Raven asked, “Excuse me, what is a liquid seeing?” Kerina grunted as she went about cleaning up broken glass, and muttered under her breath about younglings. Harmonia answered, “A liquid seeing is when we add the ingredients to the seeing spell into a cauldron to make a casting, and then we can see, in the liquid, what we ask to see. Since we are low on supplies right now because of all the destruction to the store, we need to harvest more ingredients, which Queen Kerina has so graciously asked her trollions to acquire.” Knowing how Kerina felt about non-trollions at times, Stark bowed and said, “Thank you Queen Kerina, your help is much appreciated.” Willow and Raven did the same, and the grumpy wicket queen, grinned and said, “Yes, yes, enough of that drivel, you’re welcome.” Harmonia stifled a giggle. Kerina could be rough at times, but she did have a big heart, and cared about all the people and creatures of the land. She just didn’t have any patience and was easily annoyed. “Since there is nothing we can do until we receive the supplies we need, you may as well help with the clean up.” Kerina motioned to Stark, Willow and Raven. Raven opened her mouth to say something, but Willow gave her a warning glance.

  “Her majesty is right,” said Willow, “We must all work together.” Willow handed Stark a broom, and while Callioth continued to treat Phinnia, the rest of the group got to work restoring the shop as best they could, all of them anxious with their own thoughts of what lie ahead.

  Settling near an empty cave, Adorna, Ruby, Thaddeus and Gregor, all sat down on the gravel wearily. A fire was started and everyone ate a meal of bread, cheese, and fruit. Ruby took a swig of water from her canteen and said, “Okay aunt Adorna, what are you keeping from me?”

  Adorna took a deep breath and said, “I need all of you to hear this, not just Ruby. It will make some things a little clearer, but most of all to Ruby.” Everyone waited for Adorna to begin as dusk bega
n to fall. “A long time ago,” began Adorna, “When I was a young girl first learning my powers, I met your father Edrical, Ruby, when my parents and I fled to Dragoness from the land that is now known as, ‘The Island of Murk.’ There were two dark wizards at the time, who called themselves the ‘Mirthless Murk’s,’ they were twin brothers. Their parents, one of whom was an evil warlock, and the other a dark witch, raised the brothers to do their bidding. They wanted to take over the four kingdoms of Equonicous which included Dragoness, Silver Mountain, which is where we are now, Beauteous, where King Edgeworth and Queen Primrose reign, and Wickardia, which is where our friends the wickets are from. Ruby, and Gregor, you two are only familiar with Dragoness, and will soon be familiar with Silver Mountain. Unfortunately, from what I’ve heard, Murk Island, named for its new inhabitants, once the brothers took over, is still shadowed in darkness. The Murk brother’s parents were killed when they got into a battle with the dragon mother, Eragonia. We elders along with Eragonia were protectors of dragoness. The dragons in our land were almost extinct except for Eragonia and her eggs. Dracha and Xenos Murk, the brother’s parents, wanted to take over Equonicous. Once the twin’s parents were killed, the dark land became home to Quagmire, the dark dragon, and could still be, no one knows for certain. Ruby’s eyes widened and she went to grab Gregor’s hand, but quickly dropped it and blushed. The elder’s pretended they didn’t notice. Gregor asked, “What happened to Eragonia?” Radkiel took a deep breath, “Unfortunately, she was killed in the battle with the elder Murk’s, but not before leaving her eggs to be hidden in Dragoness for protection. All three were supposed to be hidden separately until it was safe for them to be hatched, but somehow, one of the twins stole one of the eggs and through some dark sorcery, was able to hatch it. In doing so, the hatchling, whom we now call Quagmire, was born and raised by the Murk brothers for their own evil agenda, convincing the dragon that the entire kingdom was against him. Adorna nodded gravely, and continued, “The Murk’s powers became stronger as the years went by. Before their deaths, Dracha and Xenos sought out every diabolical witch, warlock, goblin, urchin, and creature they could find to teach the brothers all elements of the dark arts. They practiced daily and became stronger and wicked as the days went by, but, they are both irresponsible and unintelligent. Before the land became the Island of Murk, it was a lovely oasis. It was called the land of Ralliant, named as a place that anyone could go to, to live in harmony, enjoy the splendor of the land, and rally together. There was a glistening waterfall, where beautiful Chimera fish used to swim, happily amongst the mer-people. The water had healing powers and once a year, during the ‘Fair of Ralliant,’ anyone who was pure of heart, could take a dip in the water, and any ailment that was bestowed on them, would be healed. For example, if a warrior from the kingdom received an injury, her or she, whatever the injury would be healed in the mystical water.”

  Thaddeus smiled as he touched a spot on his lower left arm, “I remember like it was yesterday,” he whispered, “I was just a young soldier, and got seared by an enemies’ sword. It was a verge assailant, and I was caught off guard. I was assigned to protect the queen’s ladies, and a verge somehow invaded the castle. Horrible creatures they were, I shudder at the thought! Luckily, before anymore invaders could get in, the other soldiers were alerted and the one invader was captured. The rest is a little foggy to me now, but I remember being told while I was recovering from the attack, that I could go to Ralliant that summer to get healed, and I did. I will never forget how beautiful the waterfall was…” Thaddeus’ voice trailed off sadly. Adorna noticed Ruby and Gregor’s eyes were getting heavy, and she clapped her hands together. The two teens sat up straighter, startled by the sudden burst of sound. “I know you two are exhausted,” Adorna started, “But I need you to stay awake a little while longer. It’s important I tell you everything, so you are prepared before we move forward with our journey tomorrow.

  Adorna cleared her throat, quickly glanced at Radkiel, and then focused on Ruby. “What?” asked Ruby. “Why is everyone looking at me like that?” Adorna smiled, “Ruby, when Radkiel, Thaddeus, the other elders, and I were around yours and Gregor’s age, King Edgeworth was just forming his army of knights, or warriors, as we now call them. At that time the goddess Isoldina, who is also queen Primrose’ sister fell in love with one of the soldiers. That soldier was your father, Edrical.” “Whoa,” said Gregor. Radkiel glared at him. Ruby took in a sharp breath, “Go on,” she whispered. Adorna went on, “This was also when the people from Ralliant were fleeing from the island. A lot of occupants of Ralliant died trying to escape. Everything was happening all at once and King Edgeworth was trying to put together an army to defeat the Murk brothers. As the days went on, and the brother’s powers became stronger, the island of Ralliant became darker, and murkier, until everything that was beautiful dried up and died.

  Ruby wiped a tear from her eye, as did Thaddeus, while Gregor tried to hide his face, not wanting anyone to see his emotions. Radkiel gently placed his hand on Adorna’s, “Let me finish the story, my lady, your voice is getting hoarse.” The swordswoman smiled, “Thank you, I am getting a bit tired.” “Isoldina,” Radkiel explained, was about your age Ruby, at that time, maybe a year or two older. She served as her sister’s lady in waiting, but also was developing her powers. I’m not sure if you and Gregor know this, but, neither a king nor queen can attain or use magical powers. It would be against the law of our lands. “Why is that?” asked Gregor, sounding confused. “Because, they are rulers, and it would give them an unfair advantage to have that kind of power. It was written in the scrolls long ago. “What if they were born with powers, and can’t help it?” wondered Ruby. “Then their powers had to be stripped from them if they wanted to rule,” explained Thaddeus, “They are given a choice to either become a ruler, if they are born into the role, or keep their powers, study, and become whomever they chose.”

  “Wow!” Ruby and Gregor replied in unison. “I don’t understand,” began Ruby, “How can Isoldina rule over Silver Mountain, if she has magical powers?” Adorna cleared her throat again, and squeezed Radkiel’s shoulder, “When Isoldina was at court, tending to her sister, and studying with her tutors, she had met Edrical outside one day. He had been watching her during archery practice. She became very good archer. She was just finishing up a task of hitting an apple from the orchard tree, when Edrical unfortunately stepped under the tree and got hit on the head with the apple, after he ducked from the arrow. At first, Isoldina was annoyed that he got in the way of her arrow, firstly because he could have been hurt, and secondly because she thought it reflected badly on her skill. But then, just as she was going to tear into Edrical, he blurted out, “Why thank you my lady, I did so need a snack,” and he bowed. She started laughing, and then he started laughing, and they became inseparable, every day after for months. Now don’t forget, Adorna continued, everyone from Ralliant who had escaped, came to either Beauteous, or Shimrock Mountain and became a courtier, or a soldier if they stayed at the castle. Some fled to the Mountain to make homes, and received help from the king and queen, but everyone lived in fear. If the Murk brothers could take over and destroy Ralliant, they were capable of anything. It just was not clear how they were becoming so powerful. The king surmised that the twins must have been getting help, but no one could figure out from whom. Then it happened, one day the king and queen received word from a feeler named Hannart that the Murk brothers came across a dragon’s egg. Back then, despite what is thought now, dragons were born gentle creatures, even with their mystical powers. It was how they were brought up and trained that determined their outcome, so to speak. Before the Murk brothers were born, we were on good terms with the dragon mother. Unfortunately, one of the eggs was stolen from Dragoness.” “Dragoness!” exclaimed Ruby and Gregor in unison again.

  Radkiel smiled, “That is where the name of our land comes from. “The brother’s only stole one egg?” asked Gregor. “One egg was all they could find,” replied Ra
dkiel, before the brothers were found out.” Ruby groused, as she yawned, “What does this have to do with my father and the goddess?” “Bear with us, dear,” replied Adorna, “We are trying to get in every detail, sorry for the back and forth. After, Eragonia laid the eggs; they were hidden, each with a guardian, until it was time for the baby dragons to be born, safely. It was considered if the eggs were spread out and hidden, instead of all together, the babies would be less vulnerable. When the one egg was stolen, we knew before long there would be a battle to contend with. As the Murk brothers were fleeing with the egg, one of our friends, a wizard named Sagacity, had almost caught up with the evil worms when suddenly, Nefari turned around and cast a spell, which ricochet off a stone, and knocked Sagacity out. The last thing he remembered was the brothers escaping through a portal, and hearing the second brother Querd say, “We are on our way brother to rule the kingdom!” Then Sagacity blacked out. Radkiel took it from there, “The king decided to send his army, which included Edrical to find Murk Island, and destroy the brothers before they could do anymore harm. He felt the army was strong enough now, and the wizards, witches, and all the magical folks of the kingdom would be strong enough to take the brother’s on. Since the elder Murks had passed on; it was thought that the brothers would be vulnerable. Isoldina went to the king and queen and begged them to let her and Edrical marry first before they sent him off to fight, because he had proposed to her a week earlier, but they denied the request because they didn’t want any distractions, and they felt the army should head right off. Isoldina was extremely upset at their decision and went into a depression. She refused to leave the castle tower, and hardly ate. No matter what the king or queen did to try to please her or take her mind off of Edrical, she would not budge, until one day she received a letter from her fiancé saying how he missed her, and how grim his and the other soldier’s journey had been. They wrote to each other frequently, and Isoldina began to come out of her depression, and took up her studies once more. Whenever she felt down, she tried to think about her beloved’s return, and their future plans. Her powers became stronger, and the king and queen felt safer in the knowledge they had someone powerful with them at the castle. You see, as long as the rulers had their magical courtiers use their powers for good, they could have them as allies. If they felt threatened, as in the case with the Murks, they could send their guards, whether they had powers or not to protect the lands and kingdom, and that was and is still the rule. Those who lacked in magical powers were twice as strong in their defensive prowess. Gregor and Ruby both yawned again. Adorna smiled, “Just a little longer, I promise. Thaddeus!” Thaddeus sat up and looked sheepish, “So sorry, must have nodded off.” Radkiel snickered. “This is where it gets more difficult,” sighed Adorna. All of a sudden, the letters stopped. Months went by and no one had heard from the king’s army. The king sent out more soldiers to look for the first group, but to no avail, it was like they vanished.” Ruby’s eyes grew larger. Adorna went on, “Sorrowful, and disappointed with the bleak news, the king and queen signed off that their first army as dead. Isoldina went into a rage and refused to talk to anyone or continue with her studies. At this time, the king and queen decided to give Isoldina Shimrock Mountain, to watch over. This would provide a distraction for her and some relief for the rulers as many people who fled Ralliant had set up homes in Shimrock Mountain, and needed protection. She was allowed to take any guards with her of her choosing, but she chose to go alone, telling her sister and the king that she would train her own army. They even sent Isoldina a beautiful rare parrot, which the goddess named Ambrosia, to keep her company. All ruling decisions though still had to go through the king and queen as per the law, but Isoldina could pretty much reign as she see fit.”